The Inn at Irish Hollow in Galena, Illinois, serves this creamy, curried soup throughout the fall and winter. You can make your own crème fraîche for the garnish, or use purchased crème fraiche or sour cream.

Set this pretty golden fudge on a plate with traditional chocolate fudge and a white fudge for an appealing array of colors. The recipe is from a Cherokee, Iowa, reader and was a winner at the Clay County Fair.

Hailing as they do from the Sunflower State, Kansas cooks have a knack for creatively including crunchy sunflower seed kernels in all sorts of treats. These tender pumpkin morsels are from the American Institute of Baking in Manhattan, Kansas. The muffins get a double dose of sunflower from both sunflower oil and the seeds.

This recipe, submitted by Melanie Madore of Ashland, Missouri, was a finalist in our recipe contest. Unlike many pumpkin chilis, what sets this one apart is using cubed pumpkin (or butternut squash) rather than canned.

You decide how easy you want these to be! We're partial to our homemade Pumpkin Cupcakes with Sweetened Whipped Cream Frosting, but you can substitute purchased plain cupcakes or purchased whipped white frosting to make this recipe even simpler.

The famous St. Louis dessert gets a makeover from Emily Hobbs of Springfield, Missouri. She adds pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice to the moist cake. The recipe was one of the finalists at Midwest Living's first Best of the Midwest cook-off.

This creamy, rich dessert comes from Courtright's Restaurant in Willow Springs, Illinois. Although the restaurant puts a solid crust of caramelized sugar on its crème brûlée, we made it easier for you and drizzled it on.

We created this sandwich to celebrate Illinois, which grows 80 percent of the pumpkins processed in the United States. The apple bagel sandwiches are a good option for tailgating events, or try them as a meatless sandwich any time of day. We also like the added crunch of the nuts.

Baked in a casserole dish, this unusual dessert channels the spirit of marshmallow-topped sweet potato, with the added spice of pumpkin pie. This recipe comes from Patty Pinner's cookbook Sweets (crownpublishing.com[137]).

The bakers at Wick's Pies in Winchester, Indiana, crossed chess pie with pumpkin pie, adding more eggs, more spices and a little cornmeal to their pumpkin recipe. The result: a pie with a more intense pumpkin and spice flavor, and a slightly thicker filling.

Lisa Johnson of Gardner, Kansas, added banana to pumpkin bread for a new twist on quick bread treats. "This pumpkin bread is a favorite with our family," she says. "It's easy to make, and my two girls enjoy helping me. They especially enjoy it when it's done baking. It makes the house smell wonderful."

Pumpkin blends with spices such as ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in these scones (left) from Cafe Latte at Victoria Crossing in Saint Paul. The moist scone complements a dinnertime feast as well as breakfast.

For a different twist on pumpkin at breakfast, try our Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes. They're good with honey butter and nuts or with traditional maple syrup.